Marbles found....(almost)

Had a bit of a disaster today, one of my handknit socks (my monkeys or rather one of them) got included in a towel wash , that is , a boil wash and a very fast spin! It is now a felted sock , SIGH!

So to cheer myself up , I started this .... in this..... another pair of monkeys in a gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from the US , can't remember the company but the colourway is called Walking . A lovely lady from Montana sent it to me as part of a Dr Who Jelly Baby swap , and I have been eyeing it for months but just wasn't sure what pattern to do .

I love this yarn , and I love this pattern. I got so excited I started the pattern right away and forgot about the rib! Negative knitting!

Talking of negative knitting , here is half a back of my Elspeth shrug (knitted 4 times before I was happy with it!) which I am now talking to again . Did not get this pattern at all , so wrote my own charts ..... back to front .... now written properly ..... and producing knitting.

It does make a rather fetching sun hat though .... and we have been getting a lot of sun lately , I've even had to water the garden . May talk to it again tonight and add a few more inches .

After finding my "two-at-a-time" socks amongst the ironing basket , I am now at the toes , yippee! That's a SMUG smile on my face , because I finished my ironing too (don't ask about the washing basket though ) . Yes , the socks don't match and Yes , I wanted them that way (think Dobby from Harry Potter and the mismatching socks) . This is Tonks colourway and the yarn is Opal Sock , kindly given to me by my sister (I did give her a Dream in Colour Smooshy in exchange!)

Although it is very warm just now , socks not required at present , however that doesn't stop me from investing in (yet more) sock yarn for when the cold sets in again. Mind you , it could make another fetching Sun Hat too .

Its the "Ysolda Red" from Lorna's Laces , and will be featured in Ysolda Teagues new book apparently , have a peek over at her website . Its a lovely blend of orange/reds/deep pink , too lovely to leave on a lonely shelf . I appear to have "rabbit eyes" in this picture , not sure why , I blame it on Harold!

Now should I make socks with it , or something , more seasonal - appropriate suggestions kindly accepted !

(Earings perhaps!)

Just now there are quite a few KAL's going on at Once A Sheep , our lovely LYS . After the Ishbel shawl KAL , there is the Kaya shrug KAL , and I believe Moira is already on to her second one . Some of the girls are using a lovely un-dyed chunky yarn in Merino/alpaca/silk blend available at OAS , and are hoping to dye once finished . Next months KAL will be Toe-up socks using Judy's magic cast-on (or a form of!) , and I will be using my HULK yarn . Can't wait. So excited. Details on Ravelry!